Router upstairs or down?

If I want wireless coverage on both floors, where should the router be?
Upstairs or down?
Thanks
LT

"LT" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:mM2dnT_UzLxSVuffRVn-(E-Mail Removed):

> If I want wireless coverage on both floors, where should the
> router be? Upstairs or down?

The 'received wisdom' is that the higher the better. However, in the
case of a typical two-storey house with a wood/plasterboard first
floor, I doubt it makes any real difference.

On Thu, 5 May 2005 18:45:02 -0700, "LT" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>If I want wireless coverage on both floors, where should the router be?
>Upstairs or down?
>Thanks
>LT
>
I have mine on the top floor and can receive a "good" signal 2 floors
down in the basement. Top floor, main floor, basement is the home
configuration.

f/fgeorge <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>On Thu, 5 May 2005 18:45:02 -0700, "LT" <(E-Mail Removed)>
>wrote:
>
>>If I want wireless coverage on both floors, where should the router be?
>>Upstairs or down?
>>Thanks
>>LT
>>
>I have mine on the top floor and can receive a "good" signal 2 floors
>down in the basement. Top floor, main floor, basement is the home
>configuration.

It would probably be better off, as far as the radios alone are
concerned, if the AP was in the middle, on the main floor. That
would be only one floor away from whatever you have on the top
floor or in the basement. No path would require going through
two floors.

That said, radio paths are not the only consideration, and if it
works as is there is *no* point in changing it just for better
signals.

Another possible configuration, which should work just as well
as what you have, is to put the AP in the basement. That has
exactly the same relative problems with radio paths as your
current setup, but it also has one other characteristic that
might (or not) be an advantage. If the AP is in the basement it
will have less coverage horizontally away from your house. In
other words the exposure to the neighbors is less. That may
mean they can't crack into your network, or it may mean your
network won't interfere with theirs as much... or it may do
nothing.

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) (E-Mail Removed)

LT wrote:
> If I want wireless coverage on both floors, where should the router be?
> Upstairs or down?
> Thanks
> LT
>
>
I find considerable success with the ap on the ceiling downstairs.

Sounds like either floor works for me, since no neighbors and easy access
I'll go up. What about antenna orientation? Should they (Linksys) be
horizontal or vertical for optimum floor penetration?
Thanks again
LT

"atec" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:427ae059$(E-Mail Removed)...
> LT wrote:
>> If I want wireless coverage on both floors, where should the router be?
>> Upstairs or down?
>> Thanks
>> LT
> I find considerable success with the ap on the ceiling downstairs.

LT wrote:
> Sounds like either floor works for me, since no neighbors and easy access
> I'll go up. What about antenna orientation? Should they (Linksys) be
> horizontal or vertical for optimum floor penetration?
> Thanks again
> LT
>
> "atec" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:427ae059$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>>LT wrote:
>>
>>>If I want wireless coverage on both floors, where should the router be?
>>>Upstairs or down?
>>>Thanks
>>>LT
>>
>>I find considerable success with the ap on the ceiling downstairs.
>
>
>
all the same , normally vertical . ( thats right angles to the earths
surface .

"atec" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:427aeceb$(E-Mail Removed)...
> LT wrote:
>> Sounds like either floor works for me, since no neighbors and easy access
>> I'll go up. What about antenna orientation? Should they (Linksys) be
>> horizontal or vertical for optimum floor penetration?
>> Thanks again
>> LT
>>
>> "atec" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:427ae059$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>>>LT wrote:
>>>
>>>>If I want wireless coverage on both floors, where should the router be?
>>>>Upstairs or down?
>>>>Thanks
>>>>LT
>>>
>>>I find considerable success with the ap on the ceiling downstairs.
>>
>>
>>
> all the same , normally vertical . ( thats right angles to the earths
> surface .

surely the orientation, vertical, horizontal diagonal matters not. After all
its only a signal.

I have mine horizontal, lower floor 5' from ground level and all seems fine.
The air vents are at the top for heat escape mind.

dj

"LT" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Sounds like either floor works for me, since no neighbors and easy access
>I'll go up. What about antenna orientation? Should they (Linksys) be
>horizontal or vertical for optimum floor penetration?

The radiation pattern for a typical omni-directional antenna
looks something like a fat doughnut with the antenna in the
center hole. The doughnut represents signal strength, so the
more you go through, the better.

Straight off the ends of the antenna there is less signal, and
perpendicular to the antenna, all around the antenna, is best...
regardless of whether the antenna is vertical or horizontal.

If your antenna is vertical and sitting on the 2nd floor in the
center of the building, that means good coverage on that floor,
and poor coverage directly below it on the 1st floor but getting
better at locations on the 1st floor which are not directly
under it.

That is a bad location, generally, simply because there is no
way to orient the antenna and have it cover everywhere well.

Think about horizontal orientation and right up against an outer
wall. The worst client locations then would be the two corners
off the ends of the antenna.

Or perhaps if the antenna is placed in a corner of the building,
with horizontal orientation and angled 45 degrees to the walls,
so that perpendicular to the antenna is a line straight to the
center of the building. That one perhaps gives the best
coverage of all.

Of course if you have only two or three locations in the
building where you'll have a client, then you can optimize for
just those locations.

Also, if all else is equal, the client antenna should have the
same angle of orientation as the AP antenna. However, things
are *never* equal... reflections off any metal surface larger
that approximately 4" square will affect the polarization. So
it's always a good idea, if the signal is anything less that
very good, to try moving the client antenna around a bit to
see if things can be improved with different angle.

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) (E-Mail Removed)

"Cargo" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>"atec" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>>
>> all the same , normally vertical . ( thats right angles to the earths
>> surface .

Vertical is fine *if* the direction to all of your clients is
horizontal. That isn't the case in a multi-floor building
though, so horizontal is almost guaranteed to be better for that
application.

>surely the orientation, vertical, horizontal diagonal matters not. After all
>its only a signal.

Oh, it matters!

First you've got the directional characteristics of the antenna
itself. Perpendicular to the antenna is the best signal, and
directly off the ends there will be a null in the pattern that
might very easily approach 20 dB or even more. That can simply
mean the difference between a nice solid connection with a -68
dBm signal strength, and an intermittant or non-existant
connection with a -88 dBm signal strength.

Then there is the matter of what is called polarization of the
signal. Which is the relationship between the transmitting
antenna and the receiving antenna (assuming nothing in between
reflects the signal and changes its polarization). There can
easily be 25 to 30 dB of difference! So the two antennas should
at least start or default to the same orientation. It's a good
idea to try moving the client antenna around a bit, because any
signal reflections off of metal objects will change the
polarization. You might find 5 to 15 dB of extra signal that
way, just by tilting an antenna 30-60 degrees!

>I have mine horizontal, lower floor 5' from ground level and all seems fine.
>The air vents are at the top for heat escape mind.

Sounds good, and it works.

Radios are commonly accepted to work on the basis of FM. FM, of
course, means Freaking Magic, or something close to that.
That's why you set them up the way their should work, and then
twist every knob and move everything you can, just to see what
happens. They almost always work a little better once you've
misadjusted them! (The trick is knowing *which* misadjustment
will improve things.)

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) (E-Mail Removed)